An Analysis On The Denotative and Connotative Meaning of CR - 1

AN ANALYSIS ON THE DENOTATIVE AND CONNOTATIVE MEANING
OF CREED’S SONGS LYRICS
GRADUATING PAPER
Submitted To Board of Examines in Partial Fulfillment of The Requirements for The Degree of
Educational Islamic Studies (S.Pd.I) In The English Educational Department
Written by:
FATKURROHMAN
11306046
ENGLISH AND EDUCATIONAL DEPARTMENT STATE INSTITUE FOR

ISLAMIC STUDIES (STAIN) SALATIGA
2014
MINISTRY OF RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS
STATE ISLAMIC STUDIES INSTITUTE (STAIN) SALATIGA
Jl. Stadion 03 Phone. 0298 323706 Salatiga 50721
Website :www.stainsalatiga.ac.id E-mail :administrasi@stainsalatiga.ac.id
Faizal Risdianto S.S M.HumSalatiga.September 2014

The Lecturer of Education Faculty
State Islamic Studies Institute of Salatiga
ATTENTIVE COUNSELOR‟S NOTE
Case : Fatkurrohman Graduating Paper
Dear
The Head of State Islamic
Studies Institute of Salatiga
Assalamu’alaikum, Wr. Wb.
After reading and correcting Fatkurrohmangraduating paper entitled

AN ANALYSIS ON THE DENOTATVE AND CONNOTIVE MEANING OF
CREED’S SONG LYRICS
I have decided and would like to propose that if it could be accepted by education faculty, I hope
it would be examined as soon as possible.
Wassalamu’alaikum, Wr. Wb.
Consultant,
FAIZAL RISDIANTO S.S M.Hum
NIP. 19750917200801 1010

MINISTRY OF RELIGIOUS AFFAIRS
STATE ISLAMIC STUDIES INSTITUTE (STAIN) SALATIGA
Jl. Tentara pelajar 02 Telp. (0298) 323706 Salatiga 50721
Website :www.stainsalatiga.ac.id E-mail :administrasi@stainsalatiga.ac.id
DECLARATION
Bismillahhirrahmanirahim
Hereby, I certify that the thesis I wrote to fulfill the requirement for the degree of
educational Islamic studies entitled “An Analysis on the Denotative and Connotative Meaning of
Creed‟s songs lyrics” is truly my original work. It does not incorporate any materials previously
written or published by another person, except those indicated in quotations and bibliography.
Due to the fact, I am then only person responsible for the thesis if there is any objection or claim
from others.
Salatiga ,15 september 2014
The writer
FATKURROHMAN
NIM : 11306046
MOTTO
Learn from the Mistake in the past, try by using different way, and always hope for
a successful future.
(www.caramudahbelajarbahasainggris.net)
DEDICATION
This graduating paper dedicated to:
 My highly valued parents, my mother Siti Insiyah and my father Muhyidin.
 My elder brother, Nur Rohim.

 My elder sister, Lailatul Khasanah.
 My uncle, Ahmad Mustofa.
 My nephew, Fatir Ilhami.
 All my friends who have motivated and helped me to finish this graduating paper.
ACKNOWLEGMENT
Assalamu’alaikum Wr. Wb
I would like to show my best gratitude to our almighty, Allah who has given me drop of
knowledge with a million powers and patience. Peace and salutation be upon to greatest reformer
in Islam, he is Muhammad SAW. Through his endless mediation that I am recognized as a true
exist Moslem.
Because of that divine gift of grace from Allah, I am finally able to finish this thesis
entitled An Analysis on the Denotative and Connotative Meaning of Lyrics of Creed’s Songs as
the requirement for the degree of educational Islamic studies (S.Pd.I) in the English educational
department at State Institute for Islamic Studies (STAIN).
In addition, along in process of finishing this thesis I would like to dedicate my best
thank to:
1. Mr. Dr. Rahmat Hariyadi, M.Pd. the rector of State Islamic Studies Institute (STAIN) for
giving me the chance and opportunity to study in this institute.
2. Mrs.Rr.Dewi Wahyu.M, S.S,M.Pd as head of faculty.
3. Mr. Faizal Risdianto, S.S.M.Hum, the consultant of my graduating paper, thanks for his
careful guidance, wisdom, kindness, and suggestion during the completion of this
graduating paper.
4. All lectures of English in English department, who have given the knowledge patiently.
5. All my friends especially in CORNERS GANG, Ulin, Ali, Riyan, Ainul, Muthoif,
Jumeri, Makmun and those who cannot one by one.
6. Thank for my friend‟s Aseng and Tri Mulyono, who have motivated me to complete this
graduating paper and given me information in this campus.
Finally, this graduating paper is expected to be able provide useful information to the readers.
Wassalmu’alaikum Wr.Wb.
Salatiga, 14 september 2014
The writer
Fatkurrohman
TABLE OF CONTENT
TITLE…………………………………………………………………………………………… ……..i
ATTENTIVE COUNSELOR NOTE…………………………………………….. ……………………ii
DELARATION…………………………………………………………………………………………iii
PAGE OF CERTIFICATION……………………………………………………. ……………………iv
MOTTO………………………………………………………………………….. …………………… v
DEDICATION………………………………………………………………….. ……………………..vii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT………………………………………………………. ……………. ………ix
TABLE OF CONTENT………………………………………………………….. ……………………xii
ABSTRACT……………………………………………………………………… ……………………xiii
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
A. Background of study…………………………………………………..……1
B. Statement of the problem………………………………………………….. 4
C. Objective of the study……………………………………………………... 5
D. Scope of the study…………………………………………………………. 5
E. Benefit of the study………………………………………………………... 5
F. Graduating paper outline…………………………………………..………. 6
CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED THEORY
A. Semantic…………………………………………………………………… 8
B. Kind of lexical meaning…………………………………………..……….. 11
C. Denotation………………………………………………………………… 12
D. Connotation……………………………………………………….............. 13
E. Biography of creed (band)…………………………………………………16
CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHOD
A. Research design……………………………………………………………. 20
B. Research object…………………………………………………………….. 21
C. Data sources………………………………………………………………... 21
D. Research instrument…………………………………………………………22
E. Data collection……………………………………………………....………22
F. Data analysis……………………………………………………………….. 22
CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
A. Data presentation………………………………….………………………. 24
B. The analysis of denotative and connotative meaning found in creed‟s song
lyrics…………………………………………………………………………30
CHAPTER V CLOSURE
A. Conclusion………………………………………………………………….. 62
B. Suggestion………………………………………………………………….. 64
BIBLIOGRAPY
APPENDIX
ABSTRACT
Fatkurrohman, 2014. An analysis on the denotative and connotative meaning of creed’s song
lyrics.graduating paper,educatioanal Islamic studies, English department.state
Institute for Islamic studies (STAIN) salatiga.
Consultant: Faizal Risdianto S.S. M.Hum

Keyword:semantics,denotative and connotative meaning,creed.
Semantics as the study of meaning stands at the very center of the linguistic quest to
understand the nature of language and human language abilities. It is obvious that semantics has
an important role in understanding and comprehending a language, especially for English.
Semantics not only concern with the study of meaning but also with the relationship between
language and culture.Denotative meaning and connotative meaning: both of them are based on a
relationship between words & world. Denotation is the meaning of a word which is primarily
refers to the real word, the "dictionary definition” for instance “cow” shows a kind of animal,
“house” shows a kind of building.Connotation meaning is the aspect of meaning added to the
denotation of a word it relates to the association that a word has above its denotation. The
connotative meaning differs from one society to another. Connotation may be subject to variable
exchange from generation to the next. Connotation may be rather subjective and not shared in the
same way by all speakers of a language. Our individual experience of language and its relation to
the world is to some extent unique and idiosyncratic. Connotation is not stable. That Creed‟s
songs are analyzed using the descriptive qualitative approach in finding its denotative and
connotative meaning. The data are taken from lyric of Creed‟s songs which consists of 5 lyrics
from different albums such as My Sacrifice, Don‟t Stop Dancing, One Last Breath, My Own
Prison; the researcher chooses those lyrics because it contains allusion and a popularly Christian
theological concept, of absolute individual belief, usually Monotheistic. It also focuses on
questions of faith, Christianity, and eternity.
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. BACKROUND OF STUDY
Language is one of the most important cultural elements among other elements. Through
language, people can express and describe what they are doing, thinking, and what they are
wanted. Through the language, people can communicate with another people. In fact, in
Indonesian context, language became a useful instrument in the life of the nation and state
building. In the language contained some of words and every word have different meaning.
In the holy Qur‟an surah ali imran verse 7 Allah said:
“It is He who has sent down to you (Muhammad) the Book (this Qur'an). In it are Verses
that are entirely clear, they are the foundations of the Book [and those are the Verses of Al-
Ahkâm (commandments, etc.), Al-Farâ'id (obligatory duties) and Al-Hudud (legal laws for the
punishment of thieves, adulterers, etc.)]; and others not entirely clear. So as for those in whose
hearts there is a deviation (from the truth) they follow that which is not entirely clear, seeking
Al-Fitnah (polytheism and trials, etc.), and seeking for its hidden meanings, but none knows its
hidden meanings save Allah. And those who are firmly grounded in knowledge say: "We believe
in it; the whole of it (clear and unclear Verses) are from our Lord." And none receive admonition
except men of understanding” (Ali Imran: 7).
This verse explains that in the Holly Qur‟an, there are two kinds of verse; Muhkam and
Mutasyabih verses. Muhkam is verse with clearly meaning and it can be interpreted. Mutasyabih
is verse with meaning that cannot be understood except by Allah Himself. From the explanation
above, we know that Islam allows us to analyze text because Qur‟an as a holy book of Islam can
be interpreted or analyzed.
We know that meaning is necessary to be understood. If you said “I sat on the chair”, you
may defined the word "chair" as a piece of furniture with a back and four legs designed to be sat
upon. But if you have been walking all day and you finally get a chance to rest, you might see a
chair and say "Ah! At last a chair." Or you were walking through a dark room and tripped over a
chair, hurting yourself, you might say "Stupid chair!”. These three sentences used the same
word. But, do they have the same meaning?
Word have two main kind of meaning, it is a denotation and connotation meaning.
Denotation is the meaning of a word which is primarily refers to the real word, the "dictionary
definition”. It is the type of meaning which may be described in terms of a set of semantic
properties which serves to identify the particular concept associated with the word in question.
For instance “cow” shows a kind of animal, “house” shows a kind of building (Fromkin, 1990:
205).
Connotation arises as words become associated with certain characteristics of the items to
which they refer, for instance, the burdening of woman for many years with attributes such as
frailty, inconstancy and irrationality has resulted in these becoming connotations of the word
woman for many people. The words “for many people” are important here because connotation
is related to the real word experience that one associates with a word and they will therefore vary
(unlike denotative meanings) from individual to individual, and community to community. The
word “woman” has different connotations for a misogynist than will have for a feminist
(Fromkin, 1990: 205).
The study of meaning normally refers to Semantics. Semantics is the study of meaning in
language. It means that language must have meaning. Language without meaning is useless. In
Linguistics, Semantics is the subfield that is devoted to the study of meaning, as borne on the
syntactic levels of words, phrases, sentences, and even larger units of discourse (referred to as
texts). As with any empirical science, Semantics involves the interplay of concrete data with
theoretical concepts. Traditionally, Semantics has included the study of connotative sense and
denotative reference, truth conditions, argument structure, thematic roles, discourse analysis, and
the linkage of all of these to syntax. Semantics is appropriated to be used on investigating the
meaning of lyrics of songs because it deals with the meaning of language used by people in order
to convey their intended meaning of speaking or message of a language used.
The writer chooses Creed‟s songs as the object of study because the word Creed itself
(also the band's namesake), denotes a popularly Christian theological concept, of absolute
individual belief, usually monotheistic. It also focuses on questions of faith, Christianity, and
eternity.
Based on the previous explanation, the researcher is interested in conducting research
about “An Analysis on the Denotative and Connotative Meaning of Creed’s lyrics Songs”
because the researcher thinks that Creed‟s Songs are not just the song but it contains an
individual believe and understanding the denotative and connotative meaning of lyrics of Creed‟s
songs will be fascinating.
B. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEMS
Based on the description above, the researcher is going to show that there are some
problems related with this study, the problems are as follows:
1. What kind words of denotative and connotative meaning that are shown on the lyrics of
Creed‟s songs?
2. How many words of denotative and connotative meaning found in the lyrics of Creed‟s
songs?
C. OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
This research is aimed at investigating the mentioned problems. To be more specifics, this study
is intended to:
1. Describe the denotative and connotative meaning shown on lyrics of Creed‟s songs.
2. Describe the dominant words of denotative and connotative meaning found on the lyrics
of Creed‟s songs.
D. SCOPE OF STUDY
The researcher focuses on observing the denotative and connotative meaning of lyrics of Creed‟s
songs. The researcher chooses five lyrics such as My Sacrifice, Don‟t Stop Dancing, One Last
Breath, My Own Prison, What's this Life for. The researcher chooses those lyrics because it
contains allusion to Christian theology (http: //en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Creed).
E. THE BENEFIT OF STUDY
By conducting this research, there are some benefits expected from this study, such as:
1. Theoretically, the result of this study is expected to be useful and give new information to
the semantic study especially about the connotative meaning on lyrics of Creed‟s songs.
2. Practically, the result of this study would give contribution for the lectures and the
students of STAIN Salatiga, especially at English Department. It is expected to be able to
broaden the knowledge in understanding the denotative and connotative meanings of
lyrics of songs. Also it is hoped to give contribution for readers who are interested in this
study and it will be the alternative reference for the readers who are interested in
researching this area.
F. GRADUATING PAPER OUTLINE
These key terms are the method to get the right interpretation and understanding of the study.
Semantic
Semantic is one of the branches of linguistics studying about the meaning and considered
as a major branch of linguistics devoted to study of meaning in language (Crystal, 1991:310).
According to what has long been the most widely accepted as theory of semantic, meanings are
ideas or concepts that can be transferred from the mind of the speaker to the mind of the hearer
by embodying them, as it were, in the forms of one language or another. (Lyon, 1995:136).
Denotative and Connotative meaning
A word's denotation is its primary or literal significance, whereas connotation is the range
of secondary significance which a word commonly suggests.
For instance, the word "sea" denotes a large body of water, but its connotative meaning includes
the sense of overwhelming space, danger, instability; whereas "earth" connotes safety, fertility
and stability. Of many potential connotations, the particular ones evoked depend upon the
context in which words are used. Specific kinds of language (such as archaisms) also have
special connotations, carrying a sense of the context in which those words are usually found
(http: //The UVic Writer's Guide. Connotation and Denotation)
Creed
Creed was the name of a rock band from Tallahassee, Florida that became popular in the
late 1990s and early 2000s. The band won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Song for the song
"With Arms Wide Open" in 2001. In June 2004, Creed broke up, and Stapp began recording a
solo album, The Great Divide with Roadrunner Records recording artist Goneblind. The other
band members (including former bassist Brian Marshall) formed a new band, Alter Bridge, with
Myles Kennedy (http: //en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Creed).

CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED THEORY
In this chapter, the researcher would like to put some theories related to the problems of
the study to support this thesis. The followings are some descriptions which are related to the
topic discussed in this thesis. They are Semantics and kind of Lexical Meanings.
A. SEMANTICS
In etymology, Semantics is derived from the Greek "ocμai ôéêüò" or semantikos,
meaning "significant". It could be from the Greek noun “sema” which means sign or signal, and
from the verb “semaino” which means signal. The word semantic appears in French as
sémantique, as used by Michel Bréal during the 19th century, in his 1897 book published in
Paris, Essai de sémantique, considered the first use of the term "semantics" in the modern sense.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/semantics).
In linguistics, semantics is the subfield that is devoted to the study of meaning, as borne
on the syntactic levels of words, phrases, sentences, and even larger units of discourse (referred
to as texts). As with any empirical science, semantics involves the interplay of concrete data with
theoretical concepts. Traditionally, Semantics has included the study of connotative sense and
denotative reference, truth conditions, argument structure, thematic roles, discourse analysis, and
the linkage of all of these to syntax. The decompositional perspective towards meaning holds
that the meaning of words can be analyzed by defining meaning atoms or primitives, which
establish a language of thought. An area of study is the meaning of compounds; another is the
study of relations between different linguistic expressions (homonymy, synonymy, antonym,
polysemy, hyponymy etc).
In this study, some theories are used that provided by Crystal and Akhmajian, Lyons,
Goddard, Wittgenstein, Alfred Korzbsky, Hurford and Heasely, etc to support this analysis.
According to Crystal in Sarifah (2003), “semantics is the study of meaning in language”.
Akhmajian in Sarifah (2003) states that “Semantics is the study of meaning and reference.”
Lyons (1995:138) concludes that semantics is the study of meaning. The term of meaning in the
theory of semantics can be described from the mind of speaker to the mind of hearer by
embodying them, as it was, in the form of one language or another. If the term meaning is
described as ideas or concept, than it will not help us to answer such that question because the
term concept is not clearly defined, and it is too vague and general. Moreover, he states that the
word meaning may not have the same range of application as any single word in other languages.
For examples: there are contexts in which “meaning” can be translated into French with
signification or sense, and the context of meaning (signification or sense) does not match with
“bedeutung and sinn” in German.
Wittegenstein (1953:31) concludes that “for a large sense „having‟ the meaning of a word
is its use in language”. Hurford and Heasely (1984:1) say that “Semantics is the study of
meaning in language. Because of this, semantics cannot be separated from the so-called word”.
In this century, the study of meaning has expanded to include not only the symbols referent
relationship (traditional „semantic‟) but also the behavior that result from our language habit.
Alfred Korzbsky (1877-1950) believes that „general semantic‟ language influenced not only our
thinking but also all of human behavior.

Semantics as the study of meaning stands at the very center of the linguistic quest to
understand the nature of language and human language abilities. It is obvious that semantics has
an important role in understanding and comprehending a language, especially for English.
Semantics is not only concern about the study of meaning but also the relationship between
language and culture as what Goddard (1998:1) states:
“Another concern of semantics is to shed light on the relationship between language and
culture. Much of the vocabulary of any language and even part of the grammar will reflect the
culture of its speakers indeed, the culture specific concept and ways of understanding embedded
in a language are an important part of what constitutes a culture.”
B. KIND OF LEXICAL MEANING
The term lexical meaning which is used in semantics is interpreted as the meaning of
lexeme whether it is lexeme or Para phrasal lexeme. Lyon (1995:140) concludes that the
meaning of sentence depends upon the meaning of its constituent lexemes (including its phrasal
lexemes if it contains any) and the meaning of same is not all, lexemes depends upon the
meaning of sentences in which they occur.
In addition, Chaer (1994:289) says that lexical meaning refers to the real meaning,
meaning that proper with our sense observation, or for granted meaning. It has been known that a
language has amount of lexical system by which the semantics structure can be expressed based
its meaning relation of paradigmatic and syntaxmatic.
Lexical meaning covers among other things the discussion about denotation, connotation,
ambiguity, synonymy, hyponymy, polysemy, homophony, and homonymy. But this research
only focuses on the denotative and connotative meaning in order the discussion becomes deeper
again.
As quoted by Lyon (1995:139), Semantics concern with aspect of meaning in language,
work in semantic deals with the description of word and sentencemeaning. There are certain
kinds of meaning or certain aspects of meaning in linguistics such as:
C. DENOTATION
Words convey two kinds of meaning; today's dictionaries provide only one kind. When
you look up a word in any good dictionary, such as the Oxford or Merriam-Webster, what you
get is one kind of meaning. It is called denotative meaning (also known as objective, literal,
intellectual, or cognitive meaning).
Words have two main kinds of meaning, denotation and connotation. Denotation is the
meaning of a word which is primarily refers to the real word, the "dictionary definition”. It is the
type of meaning which may be described in terms of a set of semantic properties which serves to
identify the particular concept associated with the word in question. For instance “cow” shows a
kind of animal, “house” shows a kind of building.
Denotation is a word or phrase is a part of its meaning; however, several parts of meaning may
take this name, depending on the contrast being drawn: Connotation and denotation are either: in
basic semantics and literary theory, the figurative and literal meanings of a word, or in
philosophy, logic and parts of linguistics, the intension and extension of a word.
According to Harimurti (in Pateda, 2001:98), denotation means the meaning of word or
group of word which depend on the word itself or depend on the certain convention. For
example, most of people in the world agree that coin or printed paper accepted when buying or
selling is called by money. So, money has only a meaning as something which is used to buy and
to sell. From those explanations denotation can definite as the meaning of word which comes
from the word itself.
D. CONOTATION
Connotation is the kind of lexical meaning which is related to the certain item it refers to.
According to Pateda (2001: 112), he states that “connotation is the meaning which appears by
association of language used by the speaker or listener about the language which they speak or
read”.
Connotation also means:
Connotation is more or less synonymous with intension. Connotation is often contrasted
with denotation, which is more or less synonymous with extension. Alternatively, the
connotation of the word may be thought of as the set of all its possible referents (as opposed to
merely the actual ones). A word's denotation is the collection of things it refers to; its
connotation is what it implied about the things it is used to refer to. The denotation of dog is
(something like) four legged canine carnivore. So saying "you are a dog" would imply that you
were ugly or aggressive rather than stating that you were canine. Connotation also the kind of
meaning which is indicated that we abstract away from emotional and sociocultural aspects of
meaning, restricting ourselves to what an expression refers to. For example word dog in Arabic if
someone called as a dog you are not good people because in Arab dog has negative connotation
as the dirty animal in contras in west country dog has good connotation as the symbol of
faithfulness.
Connotations are shifting and idiosyncratic associations which a word may have for some
speaker but not for others (as opposed to the fixed and generally accepted meaning of word). For
instance, the word “feminist” and “environment” tend to have very different connotations
depending on a person‟s attitudes and experience.
Connotation plays a major role in the language of advertising, politics and literature. For
example the word “democracy, freedom, and communist” often occur with emotive connotations
of such highly-charged nature that speaker may be blind to the fact that there is no agreed-upon
definition underlying their use. It is their potent affective meanings which makes such words
attractive to the propagandist or political fanatic who wishes to arouse strong feeling without
inviting critical examination of his case (Fromkin, 1990: 206).
Connotation is more complicated than denotation. J. N. Hook in Widarso (1989:69) states
that besides the denotative meaning, a word sometimes has the emotional overtones or we call
„connotative‟ meaning. The other important thing whenever we are talking about connotation is
that the involvement of affective and emotive in our mind.
Furthermore, Wilkins (1983:122) affirms that connotative meaning is additional to denotative
meaning and need be related to it only in an indirect way. It is altogether more concerned with
the attitudes of the language user, his emotional reactions to the use of a word.
In addition, J. N. Hook in Widarso (1989:71) states that connotative meaning can be
divided into two kinds, namely positive connotative (purr word) and negative connotative (snarl
word). Besides the positive and negative connotative meaning, there is neutral that is most of
them is jargon language.
Here are the examples of positive and negative connotative meaning (J. N. Hook in Widarso)
(1989:71):
Positive Connotation Neutral Negative Connotation
Cottage Shanty/shack
Soiled linen Dirty Underwear
Sanitary engineer Dustman/ Garbage man
Lingering illness Carcinoma Cancer
Mercy Killing Euthanasia Legal Murder
Pass away Die Kick the bucket
Mentally unbalanced/ Psychotic Mad/Crazy
Disturbed
Svelte Slim/Slender Skinny
Dry (climate) Arid (climate)
Marketing Selling Peddling
Words such as celebration, springtime, and kiss arouse unique assemblages of positive
emotional connotations. Words such as homeless, cancer, and rape summon clouds of negative
emotional connotations. Many words and phrases, such as bullfight, call up mixed positive and
negative connotations. Connotative meaning also includes the evocation of other sensations and
impressions, such as power (e.g., war) and activity (e.g., carnival).
Another definition of connotation explains that connotation refers to all kinds of
occasions words may evoke: emotional, situational, etcetera, particularly in certain context, over
and above denotation and conceptual meaning. It can be concluded that denotation is meaning of
word from the word itself without relate to another factor.

E. BIOGRAPHY CREED (BAND)
1. Band member
Scott Stapp – Vocals
Mark Tremonti - Guitar, vocals, bass guitar on Weathered
Scott Phillips - Drums, percussion, keyboards
Brian Marshall (departed in 2000) - Bass guitar
Creed was a rock band from Tallahassee, Florida that became popular in the late 1990s
and early 2000s. The band won a Grammy Award for Best Rock Song for the song "With Arms
Wide Open" in 2001. The band broke up in 2004 after three multiplatinum albums.
2. History
Creed originally came together in Tallahassee, Florida in 1993 as Naked Toddler when
Scott Stapp and guitarists Mark Tremonti and Brian Brasher, college friends, got together and
started collaborating and writing songs. They soon added bassist Brian Marshall and drummer
Scott Phillips. Brian Marshall came up with the band name "Creed", taken from the name of his
former band, Mattox Creed.
Once the band was complete as a 5 piece in late 1993, (Scott Stapp, Mark Tremonti,
Brian Brasher, Brian Marshall and Scott Phillips) the band was soon dominating the Tallahassee
local music scene and was one of the only local bands playing all original music in a town where
club owners wanted local bands to play cover songs and music that people know. The 5 members
had already written and collaborated (3) three of the songs that would go on to become chart
topping singles on their debut album "My Own Prison". The songs were "One", "Sister" and
"What's this Life for".

They then found work at a live music bar, where they impressed promoter Jeff Hanson
and Andy Levine enough to let them play at one of their bigger venues known as Floyd's Music
Store on the Tennessee Street Strip in Tallahassee. Hanson and Levine liked the band so much
that he convinced producer John Kurzweg to record the band.
My own prison
Their debut album My Own Prison was independently released and only cost them
$6,000 to produce, and distributed to Florida radio stations. This drew the attention of several
labels that agreed to see the band, only to pass. Rejected, Creed was playing a small gig when
Diana Meltzer from Wind-Up Records heard the group. She had heard their independent album,
and after hearing them live, signed the band to her label. After a remix to make it more radio
friendly, My Own Prison was re-released by Wind-up Records across the country. The album
was a surprise success, reaching the Top 40 on the Billboard Top 200, and spinning off several
singles ("My Own Prison," "Torn," "What's This Life For," and "One") that topped the rock radio
charts. The band's hit song "My Own Prison" was also featured as a live performance on the
charity album Live in the X Lounge.
Human clay
Their second album, Human Clay, was released in 1999 and debuted on the Billboard 200
album chart at number one, based on the strength of its firstsingle, "Higher", which spent several
weeks on the top of the rock radio charts. It wasn't until early 2000 that the single crossed over
onto pop radio going to the Top Ten on the Billboard Pop Chart, and Creed became a household
name. Its follow-up, "With Arms Wide Open," also hit number one that fall.
Meanwhile, Brian Marshall particularly offended many fans when he criticized Pearl Jam
on a Seattle radio station (KNDD). He was soon kicked out of the band, and Brett Hestla (Virgos
Merlot, Dark New Day) took over on the Human Clay tour, and subsequent tours. Around that
time, Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit bad-mouthed Stapp at New York's Krock 92.3 "Dysfunctional
Family Picnic Concert" where they were both performing. In response to this, Scott Stapp invited
Fred Durst to an open boxing match which Durst declined.
Weathered
In the fall of 2001, "My Sacrifice", the first single off of Creed's last album Weathered,
was used in a series of promotional tribute videos made by World Wrestling Entertainment. They
also had "Young Grow Old," a B-side to the 1999 release Human Clay, featured as the official
theme song for World Wrestling Entertainment WWE's Backlash pay-per-view event in April
2002. In early 2002, "Bullets" was released as a single, along with a costly, special effects-laden
video. The song and video were possibly Creed's least successful since achieving mainstream
success. However, Creed rebounded quickly, with one of the summer's biggest hits, "One Last
Breath". Camp left the band in 2001, and Stapp replaced him.
Stapp was involved in a car accident in April 2002 and it had seemed that the tour that
they had planned was not going to happen. However, Stapp recovered in time to appear in the
last few shows. "Don't Stop Dancing" was a minor hit for Creed in late 2002/early 2003.
CHAPTER III
RASEARCH METHOD
This chapter presents the research methods of this study. They are research design, research
object, data resources, research instruments, data collection, and data analysis.
A. RESEARCH DESIGN
The descriptive qualitative method is used to conduct this research because the aim of
this research is to describe the denotative and connotative meaning of lyrics of Creed‟s songs in a
complete, detailed description but not to classify features, count them, and construct statistical
models in an attempt to explain what is observed (Qualitative). It is called descriptive qualitative
because it is natural base, more focusing on process than result, analytic-inductive, descriptive
and its scheme is temporal (Moeloeng, 2002:30).
According to Bodgan and Biklen (1982), Qualitative research has the following five
features: (1) the natural setting is the data source and the researcher is the key data-collection
instrument; (2) it attempts primarily to describe and only secondarily to analyze; (3) the concern
is with process, that is, with what has transpired, as much as with product or outcome; (4) its data
are analyzed inductively, as in putting together the parts of a puzzle; and (5) it is essentially
concerned with what things mean, that is, the why as well as the what.
In the qualitative research, the researcher is the most important collector data instrument.
Because the research is carried out in discussing lyrics of songs as data, the researcher needs to
observe the lyrics of Creed‟s songs by reading and understanding lyrics of Creed‟s song. The
objective of this research is to describe and identify the denotative and connotative meaning of
lyrics of Creed‟s songs. So, the report will be in the form of descriptive research. The main
objective of it is to understand the lyrics more deeply, and then, produce hypotheses to make a
form of theory. The analysis in each data required in descriptive form.
B. RESEARCH OBJECT
This study concerned with observing five lyrics of Creed‟s songs such as My Sacrifice,
Don‟t Stop Dancing, One Last Breath, My Own Prison, What's this Life for.
C. DATA SOURCES
Data sources that will be used in study approach are usually of three types: (1) interviews
of various people; (2) Documents such as minutes of meetings, news paper accounts,
autobiographies, lyrics, compact disk, tape etc; (3) observation of the phenomena in action. So,
documents are suitable data sources for this study. Those documents will be taken from internet
in the form of lyrics of songs. The researcher gets the lyrics from www.getlyrics.com. After
finding Creed‟s name, the researcher chooses five lyrics of Creed‟s songs such as My Sacrifice,
Don‟t Stop Dancing, One Last Breath, My Own Prison, What's this Life for.
D. RESEARCH INSTRUMENT
Research instrument is important to obtain the result of this study. It is a set of method,
which is used to collect the data. In qualitative research, the researcher is the key-data collection
instrument. In the words, the researcher uses Oxford Advanced Learner‟s Dictionary by A S
Hornby to get deep research and analysis on the denotative meaning of lyrics of Creed‟s songs.
E. DATA COLLECTION
The data are fully from those five lyrics of Creed‟s songs. The way to collect the data is
finding five lyrics of Creed‟s songs on internet. After that, the researcher:
1. Reads and understands the lyrics and then looks for the denotative and connotative
meaning from those five lyrics of Creed‟s songs.
2. Looks for the dominant word of denotative and connotative meaning found in the Creed‟s
song lyrics.
F. DATA ANALYSIS
There are three concurrent flows of activity needed in conducting qualitative data
analysis (Stainbeck, 1988:21):
First, data reduction refers to the process of selecting words that have denotative and
connotative meaning. This first process is finding words, presenting its denotative meaning and
showing its connotative meaning based on the theory of J. N Hook.
Secondly, data display is an organized assembly of information that permits drawing and
action taking. After analyzing whole data founded from the lyrics, the researcher displays the
result of the analysis on the descriptive form based on each category of denotative and
connotative meaning.
The third step of analysis is drawing conclusion. It is put after presenting the whole
findings of the analyzed data that aimed to clarify and note the most important points to avoid
vagueness.
CHAPTER IV
ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
This chapter presents the analysis of the data that is done in line with the research questions.
The data is analyzed descriptively based on the theory of denotative and connotative meaning by
J. N Hook
A. DATA PRESENTATION
1. data of my sacrifice song lyrics
No DATA DENOTATIVE CONNOTATIVE DATA CODE

AND LINE
1 Friend A person one A truly friend or A1
knows and likes, close friend Line: 1
usually
somebody who is
not member of
family
2 Fly To move to the Becoming better A2
air using wings or greater than Line: 11
others
3 Tears A drop a salty Pain or sorrow A3
water that comes Line: 12
from the eyes
when one cries
4 Eyes Each of two Represent the A4
organs on the meaning of “our Line: 13
face that are used lives”
for seeing
5 sacrifice the action of giving up or A5
giving up surrender Line: 14
something that
one values for
the sake of
something more
important or
valuable or a
thing that one
gives up in this
way
6 Ups and down in one direction happy and sad, A6
and then in the good or bad Line: 15
opposite
direction
7 reunite to cause two or come together or A7
more people to meet Line: 18
come together
again
2. Data of don’t stop dancing song lyrics

AND LINE
1 Wicked morally bad; evil bad and evil B1
Line: 1
2 Light the natural force to understand or B2
that makes things accept something Line: 1
visible after much
difficulty or
doubt
3 Silver lining Silver (n)” dream or hope B3
means; a without action Line: 2
chemical
element.
line (n)” means;
(1) a long thin
mark on the
surface of
something
4 Knees the joint between falling or failed B4
the upper and Line: 6
lower parts of the
leg
5 Dance to move in a do something or B5
series of steps, survive Line: 10
alone or with a
partner or in
group
6 Fly to move through becoming better B6
the air, using or greater than Line: 11
wings others
7 Unfair not right or just; bad, wicked, and B7
not fair evil Line: 13
8 Dot a small round Worthless or B8
mark paltry. Line: 14
9 Shadow a dark area on a fear or hopeless B8
surface caused Line: 22
by an object
standing between
direct light and
that surface
3. Data of one last breath song lyrics

AND LINE
1 Road to nowhere “road” means; a death C1
way between Line: 3
places, especially
one with a
prepared surface
which vehicles
can use,
“nowhere”
means; not at or
to any place; no
place
2 Thunder the loud noise equivalent to the C2
that follows a voice of God Line: 5
flash of lightning
3 Breath the air taken into being give up or C3
and sent out from almost die Line: 6
the lungs
4 Six feet from the edge Foot (pl feet) ” grave C4
means; the Line: 10
lowest part of the
leg, below the
ankle, on which a
person or an
animal stands.
“edge (n)” :the
outside limit or
boundary of an
object, a surface
or an area
5 Sad eyes sad (adj )” the apathy he is C5
represents; getting from Line: 25
showing or mankind
causing sorrow
or regret;
unhappy.
“eye (n)” means;
each of two
organs on the
face that are used
for seeing
4. Data of my own prison song lyrics

AND LINE
1 Court a place where D1
trials or other Line: 1
law cases are
held; a law court
2 Verdict a decision judgment D2
reached by a jury Line: 1
on a question of
fact in a law case
3 The walls a continuous the grave D3
upright solid Line: 4
structure made of
stone, brick or
concrete, used
for enclosing,
dividing or
protecting
something, an
area of land
4 Cage a structure made the coffin D4
of bars or wires Line: 5
in which birds or
animals are kept
or carried
5 Steel a strong hard “its strength D5
metal made of a Line: 5
mixture of iron
and carbon
6 Sun the star that sacrifice of Christ D6
shines in the sky Line: 20-21
during the day
and gives the
earth heat and
light
7 Thunder the loud noise equivalent to the D7
flash of lightning
8 Sad day showing or the day when D8
causing sorrow Christ sacrifices Line: 26
or regret; himself
unhappy
9 Lion a large powerful Jesus Christ D9
animal of the cat Line: 27
family that eats
meat and is
found in parts of
Africa and
southern Asia
10 Light the natural force forgiveness that D10
that makes things can save people Line: 29
visible from their prison
11 prison a place where the Hell D11
people are kept Line: 39
as a punishment
for crimes they
have committed
or while waiting
for trial
5. Data of what this life for song lyrics

AND LINE
1 Laid to rest to put something to relax, sleep or E1
or somebody in a do nothing after a Line: 3
certain position period of activity
or because of
illness
2 Rest to relax, sleep or die or passed E2
do nothing after away Line: 3
a period of
activity or
because of illness
3 Gray = grey of the color of unknown or E3
ashes or lead unpredictable Line: 6
4 Wrist the part of the pain E4
body between the Line: 8
hand and the arm
5 king (the title of) the GOD E5
male ruler of an Line:14
independent
state, inheriting
the position by
right of birth
B. THE ANALYSIS OF DENOTATIVE AND CONNOTATIVE MEANING FOUND
IN CREED’S SONG LYRICS
1. Lyrics of my sacrifice
My Sacrifice
Hello my friend we meet again
It's been awhile where should we begin
Feels like forever
Within my heart a memory
A perfect love that you gave to me
Oh I remember
Chorus:
When you are with me
I'm free
I'm careless
I believe
Above all the others we'll fly
This brings tears to my eyes

My sacrifice
We've seen our share of ups and downs
Oh how quickly life can turn around
In an instant
It feels so good to reunite
Within yourself and within your mind
Let‟s find peace there
CHORUS:
I'm free
I'm careless
I believe
My sacrifice
I just want to say hello again
My sacrifice
Analysis
This song tells about a sacrifice someone to his friend. Many people think that this song
correlated with Christian‟s belief, but creed refuses that opinion. In this song creed tries to
describe a sacrifice to truly friend.

Friend (n, A1 line 1)
Denotative meaning:
This word has six related meanings; first, a person one knows and likes, usually
somebody who is not a member of one‟s family, second, a person who supports a particular
cause, organization or charity, e.g. by contributing money or being a member, third, a person
who is of the same country or group as oneself and can be considered to have the same views or
interests, fourth, a thing that is very helpful or familiar, fifth, a member of the society of friends,
sixth, a person who is being talked about or addressed in public (Oxford Advanced Learner‟s
Dictionary, p.473).
Connotative meaning:
When we read whole text of the lyrics, we can find that beside it denotative meaning, the
word “friend” also has connotative meaning. It means “truly friend” a friend that always
accompany in every condition such as sadness and happiness condition. In this song the words
“friend” is correlated with the “sacrifice”.
Fly (v, A2 line 11)
Denotative meaning:
The word “fly” is this text means; (1) to move through the air, using wings, (2) to move
through air or space, to travel in an aircraft or spacecraft, (3) to direct or control the flight of an
aircraft, to transport goods or passengers in an aircraft, (4) to go or move quickly; to rush, to
move suddenly and with force, to pass very quickly, (5) to make a kite rise and stay in high in the
air, to raise a flag so that it is displayed, (6) to move about freely; to be carried about in the air,
(7) to escape from somebody or something, (8) (of stories, rumors, etc) to be talked about by
many people, to be current (Oxford Advanced Learner‟s Dictionary, p.453).
The word “fly” includes neutral connotation. Human being has no wings so they cannot
fly like a bird. So, this word connotes “becoming better or greater than others".
Tears (n, A3 line 12)
Denotative meaning:
The word “tears” means a drop of salty water that comes from the eye when one cries, etc
(Oxford Advanced Learner‟s Dictionary, p.1226).
The word “tears” includes negative connotation. Someone or something is impossible to
bring tear to someone‟s eyes. It means “pain or sorrow”.
Eyes (n, A4 line 13)
Denotative meaning:
The word “eye” means; (1)( a) each of two organs on the face that are used for seeing, (b)
the visible colored part of this, (2) [often Pl] the power of seeing, the ability to see, (b) [usual
sing] the ability to make good judgments about something one sees, 3 a thing like an eye (Oxford
Advanced Learner‟s Dictionary, p.410).
This word contains neutral connotation. The word “eye” represents the meaning of “our
lives” because we see the world with our eyes.

Sacrifice (n, A5 line 14)
Denotative meaning:
The word “sacrifice” means; (1) the action of giving up something that one values for the
sake of something more important or valuable or a thing that one gives up in this way, (2) the
offering of something valuable to a god, often an animal killed in a special ritual (Oxford
The word “sacrifice” includes negative connotation. This word means “giving up or
surrender”. According to Christian‟s belief, the word “sacrifice” is about the sacrifice of Christ.
Ups and downs (A6 line 15)
Denotative meaning:
The word “ups and downs” can mean; (1) in one direction and then in the opposite
direction, (2) moving upwards and downwards, (3) sometimes good and sometimes bad, (4) good
and bad luck, experiences, events, etc (Oxford Advanced Learner‟s Dictionary, p.1312).
The word “ups and down” includes neutral connotation because it is impossible for
people to share in one direction and then in the opposite direction. Therefore, this word connotes
“happy and sad, good or bad”
Reunite (v, A7 line 18)
Denotative meaning:
This word has two related meanings; first, to cause two or more people to come together
again, second, to join together again separate areas or separate groups within an organization
The word “reunite” includes neutral connotation. This word means “come together or
meet”. According to Christian‟s belief, the word “reunite” means reunite with God.
2. Lyrics of don’t stop dancing
Don't Stop Dancing
At times life is wicked and I just can't see the light
A silver lining sometimes isn't enough
To make some wrongs seem right
Whatever life brings
I've been through everything
And now I'm on my knees again
But I know I must go on
Although I hurt I must be strong
Because inside I know that many feel this way
[Chorus:]
Children don't stop dancing
Believe you can fly
Away...away
At times life's unfair and you know it's plain to see

Hey God I know I'm just a dot in this world
Have you forgot about me?
[Chorus]
Am I hiding in the shadows?
Forget the pain and forget the sorrows
[Chorus]
Are we hiding in the shadows?
Analysis
This song tells about motivation to survive for life. In this song the song writer tries to
describe how to keep moving and don‟t surrender to the condition.

Wicked (adj, B1 line 1)
Denotative meaning:
This word means; (1) morally bad; evil, (2) intended to harm or capable or harming
somebody, (3) tending to annoy or shock people in a playful way, (4) very good (Oxford
Advanced Learner‟s Dictionary,
p.1363)
This word includes negative connotation. This word means “bad and evil”.
Light (n, B2 line 1)
Denotative meaning:
This word has six related meanings; first, the natural force that makes things visible, an
amount or quality of this, second, a source of light, especially an electric lamp, third, a device
used to produce a flame or spark, fourth, understanding, fifth, a window or opening to let light in,
sixth, a part of a picture that is brighter than the areas around it (Oxford Advanced Learner‟s
Dictionary, p.681).
The word “light” includes neutral connotation. This word means “to understand or accept
something after much difficulty or doubt”.

Silver lining (B3 line 2)
Denotative meaning:
The word “silver (n)” means; (1) a chemical element, (2) coins made of silver or of a
metal looking like it, (3) dishes, ornaments, etc made of silver (Oxford Advanced Learner‟s
Dictionary, p.1102).
The word “line (n)” means; (1) a long thin mark on the surface of something, (2) a mark
like a line on the skin, (3) a general shape; an outline, (4) a mark on the ground to show the
limits of a playing area, running track, etc, a boundary, (5) a series of defensive position where
an army is fighting, (6) a row of people or things, (7) a series of people following one another in
time, especially generations of the same family, (8) a row of words on a page of writing or in
print, a letter, especially the short one, the words spoken by a particular actor, a punishment in
which a child is told to write out a certain sentence a number of times, (9) a length of thread,
rope, etc used for a particular purpose, (10) a telephone or electricity wire or connection, (11) a
single track of a railway, (12) a course of action, behavior or thought, (13) a direction or course,
(14) a company that provides transport for people or goods with a number of ships, aircraft,
buses, etc, (15) the line [sing] (a) (in British army) the regular soldiers fighting on foot, (b) (in
the US army) the regular fighting units of all kinds, (16) [sing] (a) an area of activity or business,
(b) a type of product (Oxford Advanced Learner‟s Dictionary, p.684-685).
The word “silver lining” includes neutral connotation. This word means “dream or hope
without action”. In this song the writer tries to describe that someone who has dream and hope,
but he can‟t able to make it become real.
Knees (n, B4 line 6)
Denotative meaning:
The word “knee” means; (1 ) (a) the joint between the upper and lower parts of the leg,
where it bends, (b) the upper surface of the top part of somebody‟s leg when they are sitting, (2)
the part of a garment covering the knee (Oxford Advanced Learner‟s Dictionary, p.653).
The word “knee” includes neutral connotation. It means “falling or failed” because
someone who fails to do something sometimes expresses it by sitting and looking his knees.
Dance (v, B5 line 10)
Denotative meaning:
The word “dance” means; (1 ) (a) to move in a series of steps, alone or with a partner or
in group, usually in a way that matches the speed and rhythm of music, (b) to perform a
particular dance, (2) to move in a lively way, usually up and down (Oxford Advanced Learner‟s
Dictionary, p.292).
The word “dance” includes positive connotative meaning because it indicates of
happiness etc. This word means “do something or survive”. In this song the word “dance” is
opposite with word “silver lining” the song writer tries to describe to make change something we
must do it something.
Fly (v, B6 line 11)
Denotative meaning:
The word “fly” is this text means; (1) to move through the air, using wings, (2) to move
through air or space, to travel in an aircraft or spacecraft, (3) to direct or control the flight of an
aircraft, to transport goods or passengers in an aircraft, (4) to go or move quickly; to rush, to
move suddenly and with force, to pass very quickly, (5) to make a kite rise and stay in high in the
air, to raise a flag so that it is displayed, (6) to move about freely; to be carried about in the air,
(7) to escape from somebody or something, (8) (of stories, rumors, etc) to be talked about by
many people, to be current (Oxford Advanced Learner‟s Dictionary, p.453).
The word “fly” includes neutral connotation. This word means “becoming better or
greater than others”.
Unfair (adj, B7 line 13)
Denotative meaning:
This word means; (1) not right or just; not fair, (2) not following normal rules or
principles (Oxford Advanced Learner‟s Dictionary, p.1301).
This word takes account of negative connotation. This word means “bad, wicked, and
evil”.
Dot (n, B8 line 14)
Denotative meaning:
The word “dot” means; (1) a small round mark, (2) suck a mark used as a symbol in writing, 3 a
tiny distant object (Oxford Advanced Learner‟s Dictionary, p.347).
The word “dot” includes neutral connotative meaning. This word means; worthless or
paltry. The song writer tries to describe that human is not perfect in front of GOD.
Shadow (n, B9 line 22)
Denotative meaning:
The word “shadow” has six related meanings; (1) (a) a dark area on a surface caused by
an object standing between direct light and that surface, (b) darkness caused by an object
blocking direct light, (2) a dark patch or area, (3) (a) a person or animal that constantly follows
somebody, (b) a person, eg a detective, who follows and watches somebody closely and often
secretly, (4) [sing] ~of something (usually in negative sentence) a very small amount of
something, (5) a thing that is not real or impossible to obtain, (6) [sing] the ~ of
somebody/something, the strong influence of somebody or something (Oxford Advanced
Learner‟s Dictionary, p.1079).
The word “shadow” includes negative connotation. This word means “fear or hopeless”.
It means that always negative thinking.

3. Lyrics of one last breath
One Last Breath
Please come now I think I'm falling
I'm holding on to all I think is safe
It seems I found the road to nowhere
And I'm trying to escape
I yelled back when I heard thunder
But I'm down to one last breath
And with it let me say
Let me say
Hold me now
I'm six feet from the edge and I'm thinking
That maybe six feet
Ain't so far down
I'm looking down now that it's over
Reflecting on all of my mistakes
I thought I found the road to somewhere
Somewhere in His grace
I cried out heaven save me
Let me say
Hold me now
That maybe six feet
Ain't so far down
Sad eyes follow me
But I still believe there's something left for me
So please come stay with me
'Cause I still believe there's something left for you and me
For you and me
For you and me
Hold me now
Analysis
In this song, the person that the song writer sings about thinks that his life is over, but
with his last breath he's trying to hold on to life and the things he loves about it. He's going
nowhere in his life, and he's trying to escape. Later in the song, his outlook gets even darker
("now that it's over"), and he's reflecting on the mistakes he made and crying out to heaven for
help. In the last part of the song he has found the strength to go on ("But I still believe there's
something left for me"), and even though he's down to his last breath, he still thinks that his life
will get better.
Road to nowhere (C1 line 3)
Denotative meaning:
The word “road” means; (1) (a) a way between places, especially one with a prepared
surface which vehicles can use, (b) (in compound) of or concerning such a way or ways, (2) in
names of roads, esp. in town, (3 )the way to achieving something (Oxford Advanced Learner‟s
Dictionary, p.1016). The word “nowhere” means; not at or to any place; no place (Oxford
The word “road to nowhere” consists of neutral connotation because people usually know
where they want to go. So, this word means “death”.
Thunder (n, C2 line 5)
Denotative meaning:
This word means; (a) the loud noise that follows a flash of lightning, (b) any similar noise
(Oxford Advanced Learner‟s Dictionary, p.1247-1248).
The word “thunder” includes negative connotation because someone yelled back when he
heard thunder to show his anger. So, this word connotes “equivalent to the voice of God”.
Breath (n, C3 line 6)
Denotative meaning:
The word “breath” signifies; (1) (a) the air taken into and sent out from the lungs, (b) a
single act of taking air into the lungs, (2) ~ of sth [sing] a slight movement of air, (3) ~ of sth
[sing] a slight suggestion, feeling or sign of something (Oxford Advanced Learner‟s Dictionary,
p.136).
The word “one last breath” includes negative connotation. This word connotes about
“being give up or almost die”
Six feet from the edge (C4 line 10)
Denotative meaning:
The word “foot (pl feet) (n)” means; (1) the lowest part of the leg, below the ankle, on
which a person or an animal stands. (2) (usual sing) the part of a sock or stocking that covers the
foot. (3) a measure of length equal to 12 inches. (4) (a) the lowest part of something; the base or
bottom of something, (b) the end of a bed where one‟s feet normally are when one is lying in it.
(5) A manner of walking or moving, 6 a unit of rhythm in a line of poetry containing one stressed
syllable and one or more syllables without stress. Each of the four divisions in the following line
is a foot (Oxford Advanced Learner‟s Dictionary, p.458).
The word “edge (n)” denotes; (1) the outside limit or boundary of an object, a surface or
an area, (2) (a) the narrow part along or around a thin flat object, (b) the sharp part of a blade,
knife, sword, etc that is used for cutting,( 3) (usual the edge) [sing] the point or state immediately
before something unpleasant , dangerous or exciting occurs, (4) [sing] a slight advantages over
somebody/something, (5) [sing] a strong, sharp and often exciting quality, (6) [sing] a sharp,
slightly threatening tone of voice, often showing anger or annoyance (Oxford Advanced
Learner‟s Dictionary, p.368).

The word “six feet from the edge” contains negative connotation. This word connotes
about “grave”. The depth of grave is six feet under the ground.
Sad eyes (C5 line 25)
Denotative meaning
The word “sad (adj )” represents; (1) showing or causing sorrow or regret; unhappy, (2)
deserving blame or criticism; bad, (3) worse than is deserved, and so making one feel pity or
regret (Oxford Advanced Learner‟s Dictionary, p.1035).
The word “eye (n)” means; (1) (a) each of two organs on the face that are used for seeing, (b) the
visible colored part of this, (2) (a) [often Pl] the power of seeing, the ability to see, (b) [usual
sing] the ability to make good judgments about something one sees, (3) a thing like an eye
Connotative meaning
The word “sad eye” embraces negative connotation. This word connotes about “the
apathy he is getting from mankind”.
4. Lyrics of my own prison
My Own Prison
A court is in session, a verdict is in
No appeal on the docket today
Just my own sin

The walls are cold and pale
The cage made of steel
Screams fill the room
Alone I drop and kneel
Silence now the sound
My breath the only motion around
Demons cluttering around
My face showing no emotion
Shackled by my sentence
Expecting no return
Here there is no penance
My skin begins to burn
(And I said oh) So I held my head up high
Hiding hate that burns inside
Which only fuels their selfish pride
(And I said oh) We're all held captive
Out from the sun
A sun that shines on only some
We the meek are all in one
I hear a thunder in the distance
See a vision of a cross
I feel the pain that was given
On that sad day of loss

A lion roars in the darkness
Only he holds the key
A light to free me from my burden
And grant me life eternally
Should have been dead
On a Sunday morning
Banging my head
No time for mourning
Ain't got no time
I cry out to God
Seeking only his decision
Gabriel stands and confirms
I've created my own prison
I cry out to God
Analysis
Lead singer Scott Stapp wrote this about his struggles with life at a time when he was
questioning his faith. He realized he had created a prison within his own mind. After Creed
became wildly popular (and at the same time, reviled), Stapp created another kind of prison for
himself with drug addiction, alcoholism, and a series of unflattering incidents the tabloids lapped
up. In 2012, he was able to take an honest look at his life and re-evaluate his priorities, which he
wrote about in his memoir Sinner's Creed. When we spoke with Stapp the following year, he
explained, "Any time we have reconciliation in life, and any time there's balance brought back
into life and perspective, at the end of those things, you find peace and joy and contentment, and
that's where my life is today."
Court (n, D1 line 1)
Denotative meaning:
This word has several meanings such as; (1) (a) a place where trials or other law cases are
held; a law court, (b) the court [sing] the people present in a law court, especially those directly
involved in a trial, (2) (a) the official residence of a king or queen, (b) the court [sing] the king or
queen and all his or her advisers, officials, family, etc. (3) (sport) a space marked out for tennis
or similar games, either indoors or outdoors. (4) (Brit) (abbr Ct) (used in the names of short
enclosed streets or blocks of flats) (Oxford Advanced Learner‟s Dictionary, p.267).
The word “Court” has negative connotation because this word does not mean a place
where trials or other law cases are held when someone is still alive but it will happen when
someone passed away.
Verdict (n, D2 line 1)
Denotative meaning:
This word means; (1) a decision reached by a jury on a question of fact in a law case, (2)
(on something/somebody) a decision or an opinion given after testing, examining, or
experiencing something (Oxford Advanced Learner‟s Dictionary, p.1324).
This word consists of neutral connotation. This word connotes “judgment”. Most
Christians believe that human beings experience divine judgment and are rewarded either with
eternal life or eternal damnation. This includes the general judgment at the Resurrection of the
dead as well as the belief held by Catholics, Orthodox and some Protestants in a judgment
particular to the individual soul upon physical death.
The walls (n, D3 line 4)
Denotative meaning:
This word means; (1) (a) a continuous upright solid structure made of stone, brick or
concrete, used for enclosing, dividing or protecting something, eg an area of land, (b) any of the
upright sides of a building or room, (2) a thing that forms a barrier or stops one making progress,
(3) the outer layer of a hollow structure, especially an organ or a cell of an animal or a plant
This word includes neutral meaning. It connotes “the grave” which is cold and pale.
Cage (n, D4 line 5)
Denotative meaning
This word has several meanings such as; (1) a structure made of bars or wires in which
birds or animals are kept or carried, (2) an enclosed platform used to raise and lower people and
equipment in a mine (Oxford Advanced Learner‟s Dictionary, p.157).
Connotative meaning
The word “cage” has negative connotation. It connotes “the coffin”.
Steel (n, D5 line 5)
Denotative meaning:
This word means; (1) (a) a strong hard metal made of a mixture of iron and carbon, used
for making vehicles, tools, knives, machinery, etc, (b) the industry that produces steel; the
production of steel, (2) (arch or rhet) weapons for fighting with (Oxford Advanced Learner‟s
Dictionary, p.1168).
This word embraces neutral connotation. Usually the coffin made of wood so the word
“steel” connotes “its strength” because people could not be free from it.
Lion (n D6 line 20-21)
Denotative meaning:
This word has several meanings such as; (1) a large powerful animal of the cat family
that eats meat and is found in parts of Africa and southern Asia, (2) (dated) a brave or famous
person (Oxford Advanced Learner‟s Dictionary, p.686).

Usually, people give special name because of his characteristics. The word “Lion”
connotes “Jesus Christ” for his brave and sacrifice. This word includes neutral connotation.
Sun (n, D7 line 23)
Denotative meaning:
This word denotes; (1) the star that shines in the sky during the day and gives the earth
heat and light, (2) the light and heat from the sun, (3) any star, especially one with planets
moving around it (Oxford Advanced Learner‟s Dictionary, p.1197).
This word includes neutral connotative meaning. This word connotes “sacrifice of Christ”
and realization that only Christ's sacrifice can help them escape.
Thunder (n, D8 line 26)
Denotative meaning:
This word means; (a) the loud noise that follows a flash of lightning, (b) any similar noise
(Oxford Advanced Learner‟s Dictionary, p.1247-1248).
The word “thunder” includes negative connotative meaning. This word connotes
“equivalent to the voice of God”.

Sad day (D9 line 27)
Denotative meaning:
The word “sad (adj)” represents; (1) showing or causing sorrow or regret; unhappy, (2)
deserving blame or criticism; bad, 3 worse than is deserved and so making one feel pity or regret
The word “sad” has negative connotation. It connotes “the day when Christ sacrifices
himself”.
Light (n, D10 line 29)
Denotative meaning:
This word has six related meanings; first, the natural force that makes things visible, an
amount or quality of this, second, a source of light, especially an electric lamp, third, a device
used to produce a flame orspark, fourth, understanding, fifth, a window or opening to let light in,
sixth, a part of a picture that is brighter than the areas around it (Oxford Advanced Learner‟s
Dictionary, p.681-682).
The word “light” includes positive connotative meaning. This word connotes
“forgiveness that can save people from their prison”.

Prison (n, D11 line 39)
Denotative meaning:
This word means; (1) (a) a place where people are kept as a punishment for crimes they
have committed or while waiting for trial, (b) a place from which somebody cannot escape
This word includes negative connotation. It connotes “the Hell”.
5. Lyrics of what’s this life for
What's This Life For
Hurray for a child that makes it through
If there's any way, because the answer lies in you
Their laid to rest, before they've know just what to do
Their souls are lost, because they could never find
What's this life for
I see your soul it's kind of gray
You see my heart, you look away
You see my wrist, I know your pain
I know your purpose on your plane
Don't say a last prayer, because you could never find
But they ain't here anymore

Don't have to settle no goddamned score
Because we all live under the reign of one kin
Analysis
This song is a track from Creed's first album, Scott Stapp and Mark Tremonti wrote the
song about one of their friends who committed suicide. The lyrics deal with how hard it is to find
happiness and meaning in the world. (Thanks, Matt - Morristown, TN)
Laid to rest (E1 line 3)
Denotative meaning:
This word has several meaning:
Placing something in a certain position, (1) (a) to put something or somebody in a certain
position, (b) to put something in a suitable or the correct position for a particular purpose, (2)
_something (on/over) to spread something on something; to cover something with a layer of
something, Causing somebody or something to be in a certain state, (3) (formal) to cause
somebody or something to be in a certain state or situation, (4) to make something settle, (5)
(formal) to relieve or remove something. Other meanings, (6) _something (on something) to bet
money on something; to place a bet, (7) (especially passive) (of a man) to have sex with a
woman, (8) (of certain creatures, especially birds and insects) to produce egg, (9) (used in the
combination lay + n + preposition/infinitive, when the phrase has the same meaning as a verb
related in form to the noun) (Oxford Advanced Learner‟s Dictionary, p.667-668).

Rest (v, E2 line 3)
Denotative meaning
This word denotes; (1) (a) to relax, sleep or do nothing after a period of activity or
because of illness, (b) to cause or allow something/somebody to do this, (2) (something)
on/against something, to lie or to be place on/against something for support, (3) (formal) (of a
subject being talked about) to be left without further discussion, (4) (especially law) to bring
one‟s argument to an end; to have no more to say about something, especially because one
believes that one‟s point has been proved (Oxford Advanced Learner‟s Dictionary, p.1000).
Connotative meaning
This word has positive connotation. It connotes “die or passed away”.
Gray (esp US) = Grey (adj, E3 line 6)
Denotative meaning:
The word “Grey (adj) ” means; (1) (a) of the color of ashes or lead, (b) having grey hair,
(c) dull; full of clouds and often raining, (d) (of a person) pale because tired, ill or unhappy, (2)
(a) lacking interest or variety; depressing, (b) having no individual or attractive features. Grey (n)
means; (1) a grey color, a suit of dark/light/charcoal gray, (2) grey clothes, (3) a grey or white
horse (Oxford Advanced Learner‟s Dictionary, p.522).
The word “grey” embraces negative connotation. This word connotes “unknown or
unpredictable”.
Wrist (n, E4 line 8)
Denotative meaning:
This word means; the part of the body between the hand and the arm; the joint on which
the hand moves (Oxford Advanced Learner‟s Dictionary, p.1382).
The word “wrist” embraces neutral connotation. The word my wrist connotes Christ‟s
wrist that is stabbed by big nail and it connotes “pain”.
King (n, E5 line 14)
Denotative meaning:
This word means; (1) (the title of) the male ruler of an independent state, inheriting the
position by right of birth, (2) a person, an animal or a thing thought of as best or most important
in some way, (3) (in compounds) the largest variety of a species, (4) (a) the most important piece
in CHESS, (b) a piece in draughts that has reached the opponent‟s side of the board and so can
move backwards as well as forwards, (c) (in a pack of cards) a card with the picture of a king on
it (Oxford Advanced Learner‟s Dictionary, p.651).
This word has positive connotation. This word connotes “GOD”.

From explanation above there were 37 words that include as denotative and connotative
meanings. It is dominated by words with kinds of noun. There is 22 words of noun, 5 words of
verb, and others is adjective word. It can be conclude that in the creed‟s song lyrics included
denotative and connotative meaning.

CHAPTER V
CLOSURE
This chapter presents the conclusion and suggestion concerning with the results of the
study discussed in the previous chapters.
A. CONCLUSION
Based on the finding and discussion, the summary is concerning with An Analysis of
denotative and Connotative meaning found in Lyrics of Creed’s Songs. There are some
conclusions:
In lyrics of Creed‟s songs, there are many words, phases, and sentences refer to the Christian
theological concept such as;
Their bands name “Creed”, according to Christianity the word “Creeds”; (from Latin
credo meaning "I believe") are concise doctrinal statements or confessions, usually of religious
beliefs. They began as baptismal formulas and were later expanded during the Christological
controversies of the fourth and fifth centuries to become statements of faith.
Sacrifice refers to the sacrifice of Christ.
God’s grave, Protestantism teaches that Eternal Salvation is a gift that comes to an
individual by God's grace, sometimes defined as "unmerited favor" on the basis of one's personal
belief in and dependence on the substitutionary death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Salvation
in this sense refers to God's activities in bringing humans into right relationship with God and
with one another through faith in Jesus Christ. It is the belief that one can be saved (rescued)
from sin and eternal death. Other concepts used in the study of how salvation is accomplished
include conversion, faith, justification, regeneration, and others. Many Protestants believe in the
"assurance of salvation" that God can give the confidence that a believer in Jesus as the Christ
has truly received salvation.
Afterlife and Eschaton, Most Christians believe that human beings experience divine
judgment and are rewarded either with eternal life or eternal damnation. This includes the
general judgment at the Resurrection of the dead (see below) as well as the belief (held by
Catholics, Orthodox and some Protestants) in a judgment particular to the individual soul upon
physical death. And this entire concept makes many people called Creed as Christian Band.
On the other hands, many times Creed‟s songs are questioning God. And asking why God
does such unpleasant things to people if he supposed to be so good. It also focuses on questions
of faith, Christianity, and eternity. Nevertheless, it has not been confirmed that the songs were
meant to be Christian songs.
Beside that, by understanding creed‟s song, we as moslem can be motivated to always
increase our believed to Allah. Because in the creed‟s song lyrics tells about believing to the God
and motivation of life.
B. SUGGESTION
In accordance with the finding of this research described previously, there is a point that
could be suggested; two points need explain while talking about connotation.
The first point connotation is far more intermediate than denotation on one hand.
Connotation may be subject to variable exchange from generation to the next. Connotation may
be rather subjective and not shared in the same way by all speakers of a language. Our individual
experience of language and its relation to the world is to some extent unique and idiosyncratic.
Connotation is not stable.
The second point is the extent to which we relate the lexeme itself rather than to the
entity that a lexeme denotes. The connotation of a word to us must reflect our experience of the
entity to which the word refers and to the place this entity has in our belief system.
For the students, who study about semantics especially denotative and connotative
meaning, are expected to have good comprehension on the content and context of the text by
reading the whole text. It will be able to avoid wrong choice of appropriateness meaning of
denotative and connotative meaning.

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Cruse, D.A. 1986. Lexical Semantics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
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Language. London: Holt Rinehart and Winston.
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Moeloeng, L.J, 2002. Methode Penelitian Kualitatif. Bandung: Remaja Rosdakarya.
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Control over Connotation is Essential.
Retrieved on March 10, 2008, from http://www.connotative.org

APPENDIXES
A. CREED (BAND)
Background information
Origin : Tallahassee, Florida, United States
Genres : Hard rock, post-grunge, alternative metal
Years active : 1993–2004, 2009–2012
Label : Wind- Up
Associated act: Alter Bridge, Projected
Website : www.creed.com
Creed is an American rock band, formed in 1993 in Tallahassee, Florida. The band's
best-known line-up consists of lead vocalist Scott Stapp, guitarist and vocalist Mark Tremonti,
bassist Brian Marshall, and drummer Scott Phillips. Creed released two studio albums, My Own
Prison in 1997 and Human Clay in 1999, before Marshall left the band in 2000 to be replaced by
touring bassist Brett Hestla. The band's third record, Weathered, was released in 2001 with Mark
Tremonti handling bass before the band disbanded in 2004 due to increasing tension between
members. Tremonti, Marshall, and Phillips went on to found Alter Bridge while Stapp followed
a solo career, releasing The Great Divide in 2005. After years of speculation, Creed reunited in
2009 for a tour and new album called Full Circle.
In early 2012 the band reconvened again to tour and start work on a fifth album.
However, the album has since been shelved, with Stapp saying the future of the band is unclear
due to a disagreement between himself and Tremonti. However, in interviews Stapp has
maintained that the band is still together, just focusing on other projects. He's also said that he's
always open to continuing work on a new album when the time is right.
Becoming popular in the late 1990s and early 2000s, the band released three consecutive
multi-platinum albums, one of which has been certified diamond. Creed has sold over 28 million
records in the United States, and over 40 million albums worldwide, becoming the ninth best-
selling artist of the 2000s. Creed is often recognized as one of the prominent acts of the post-
grunge movement of the late 1990s and early 2000s.
1. History
a. Early years (1993–1996)
Creed's origins lie in 1993 in Tallahassee, Florida. Founding member vocalist Scott Stapp
and guitarist Mark Tremonti had been classmates in high school and friends at Florida State
University. Upon reuniting, Stapp and Tremonti realized that they had a mutual love for writing
music and performing. After several discussions and times spent writing songs, many of which
addressed themes of Christian theology and spirituality due to Stapp's religious background as
the stepson of a Pentecostal minister, the duo held auditions which led to the recruitment of
rhythm guitarist Brian Brasher, bassist Brian Marshall, and drummer Scott Phillips to complete
the quintet. Originally known as Naked Toddler, the band changed its name to Creed at
Marshall's suggestion, after a band Marshall had previously played for called Mattox Creed.By
the end of 1995, rhythm guitarist Brian Brasher left the band. Creed then decided to remain as a
four-piece band. The four musicians had already written and collaborated on four of the songs
that would go on to become tracks on Creed's chart-topping debut album, My Own Prison. The
band found local success and began to play shows in bars and small venues throughout
Tallahassee.
b. My Own Prison and rise to fame (1997–1998)
With a new name, a new sound and several new songs written, Creed began playing
locally. They initially struggled to get gigs in their hometown because no one wanted to hear
rock bands, so they set up their own shows at family restaurants and got all their friends to hand
out fliers so people would come to these restaurants to watch them play.
Wanting "a real show at a club", they managed to persuade the owner of a bar in
Tallahassee to book them by claiming that they could guarantee an audience of 200 people.
Owner and manager Jeff Hanson later told Hit Quarters that the band had played mostly cover
versions, but two original songs stood out and impressed the manager so much that he promptly
signed them to his management and promotions company and set about developing their act. For
their first recordings he matched the band up with John Kurzweg, a producer and friend of
Hanson's who he felt was an appropriate fit. Together they recorded their debut album for
$6,000, which was funded by Hanson. The album, titled My Own Prison, was initially self-
released on their own label, Blue Collar Records, selling 6,000 copies throughout the state of
Florida.
My Own Prison had been circulating around the music industry for a while when, in May
1997, Diana Meltzer from Wind-Up Records heard the album for the first time and decided
almost immediately that she wanted to sign them to the label, which had recently dropped
Baboon over the latter's reluctance to alter their image and sound to suit the label's demands.
Meltzer later said that she heard "an arena band". Within the same week, Meltzer, together with
Wind-up president Steve Lerner, CEO Alan Meltzer, and A&R representative Joel Mark, flew to
Tallahassee to see Creed perform live and decide for certain whether to offer them a contract.
"Seeing the energy in the room when Scott Stapp stepped up to the mike, and hearing his
powerful voice fill the room, alongside Mark Tremonti‟s now legendary guitar riffs and that big
Creed anthemic rock sound, was all I needed," she told HitQuarters. According to Hanson,
before Wind-up signed Creed, fourteen labels had already passed on the band, and at one point
he was tempted to take charge of them himself.
My Own Prison was remixed, given a more radio-friendly sound, and re-released by
Wind-up Records. Four singles were released from the album: "My Own Prison", "Torn",
"What's This Life For", and "One". Each of these songs reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot
Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, making Creed the first band to accomplish such a feat with a
debut album. With little MTV exposure, media coverage, or label support, My Own Prison sold
extremely well, moving over six million copies and going six times platinum. Creed continued to
top year-end charts and was recognized as the Rock Artist of the Year at the 1998 Billboard
Music Awards. My Own Prison was also the highest-selling heavy music record of 1998 on
Nielsen SoundScan's Hard Music chart. The band's hit song "My Own Prison" was also featured
as a live performance on the charity album Live in the X Lounge. The band covered Alice
Cooper's song "I'm Eighteen" for The Faculty soundtrack in 1998. Critical reception toward My
Own Prison was mostly favorable. Stephen Thomas Erlewine from Allmusic gave it four out of
five stars and said that Creed "work well within their boundaries" despite "basically [falling] into
the category of post-Seattle bands who temper their grunge with a dose of Live earnestness." The
album lyrically deals with themes of questioning and struggling with faith and spirituality.
c. Human Clay and Marshall's departure (1999–2000)
With money made from My Own Prison, the band started to write for their second album,
Human Clay. The album's first single, "Higher," spent a record-breaking seventeen weeks on the
top of the rock radio charts. In 2009, "Higher" was ranked as the 95th greatest hard rock song of
all time by VH1. The album was released in 1999, when My Own Prison was still doing
reasonably well.[18] However, Human Clay was an instant and overwhelming success debuting at
No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and selling over ten million copies over the next two years, allowing
it to become one of the few rock albums to be certified diamond by the RIAA. The album was
the band's first to hit No. 1 in the U.S., where it debuted with first week sales of 315,000, and
stayed on top for two weeks. After the album's release, follow-up singles were released: "With
Arms Wide Open," "What If," and "Are You Ready." The first three of those topped radio charts,
giving Creed a total of seven chart-topping singles. The band would later go on to win their first,
and to date only, Grammy Award for "With Arms Wide Open" for Best Rock Song in 2001.
Reviews for Human Clay were largely positive. Stephen Thomas Erlewine from Allmusic
said that the record "does make it clear that there is an audience for post-grunge hard rock, as
long as it's delivered without pretension and as long as it meets the audience's desire for straight-
ahead, hard-hitting music." The lyrical content of Human Clay is a slight departure from that of
My Own Prison, touching on subjects such as lucid dreaming ("Higher") and fatherhood ("With
Arms Wide Open"), as well as darker, more violent themes such as sexual abuse ("Wash Away
Those Years") and hostility ("What If").
During the summer of 2000, bassist Brian Marshall began a spiral into alcoholism and
addiction. While under the influence, Marshall threatened to beat up Tremonti, began missing
band obligations, and verbally attacking and online attacking Stapp. The band had a meeting
with management to discuss Marshall's future. Stapp and Tremonti supported Marshall going to
rehab and attempted to talk Marshall into going, but at that point, Marshall was to far gone to
recognize he needed help. Brett Hestla of Virgos Merlot was initially contacted to "fill in" while
Marshall went to rehab, but that never happened. Initially, the public thought Marshall was let go
because he criticized Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder in a radio interview with KNDD in June
2000, claiming that Scott Stapp is a better songwriter, and criticized Pearl Jam's recent albums
for "having songs without hooks." Stapp later distanced the rest of the band from Marshall's
comments and stated, "Yes, we get tired of the PJ question, but there is no excuse for the
arrogance and stupidity [of Marshall]. I ask you all not to judge Creed as a band, because the
statements made were not the band's feelings, they were Brian's. I'm sorry if Brian offended
anyone, and he has already apologized for his comments." Although it was reported Marshall left
Creed "on friendly terms," he didn't. Tremonti and Stapp were concerned for Marshall and their
collective friendships, but soon after the controversy, Marshall formed a new band called Grand
Luxx with his old Mattox Creed band mates. Marshall was temporarily replaced by touring
bassist Hestla. Stapp stated Marshall's leaving was his choice and was unrelated to the Pearl Jam
comments.
d. Weathered and break-up (2001–2004)

Creed worked on their third album for most of 2001, with Tremonti choosing to play bass
on the record himself instead of Hestla to "[preserve] the band's initial core," although Hestla
remained in Creed's touring lineup. Weathered was released on November 20, 2001. Six singles
were released from the album: "My Sacrifice" (which earned the band a nomination for a
Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 2003), "One Last
Breath, "Hide", "Don't Stop Dancing", "Weathered" and "Bullets." The album was a commercial
bestsellerand was certified platinum six times over and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top
200. It remained at that spot for eight weeks, a record which Creed notably shares with The
Beatles. The tour to promote Weathered was met with considerable controversy; it was delayed
in April 2002 when Stapp suffered a concussion and vertebrae damage after being involved in a
car accident. As a result, in addition to his growing addiction to alcohol, he became addicted to
pain medication. This, along with other events, led to a considerably controversial concert on
December 29, 2002 at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois, which ultimately led to the
band's disunion. Four disappointed concertgoers filed a lawsuit against the band, claiming that
Scott Stapp "was so intoxicated and/or medicated that he was unable to sing the lyrics of a single
Creed song." Creed later issued an apology on Stapp's behalf, although Stapp would later deny
the claims. Ultimately, the case was dismissed. Stapp later confirmed that he was intoxicated
during the concert, but was not incoherent.
After remaining inactive for over a year, it was announced in June 2004 that Creed had
disbanded. Tremonti cited tensions between Stapp and the rest of the band as the reasoning. He
said that the relationship with Stapp had become so strained that the creative juices were no
longer flowing. The reality was that Stapp was in Maui battling his addiction to alcohol and
drugs. Almost simultaneous with the announcement of Creed's break-up, Stapp opted for a solo
career. So on November 22, 2004, Wind-up Records released Creed's Greatest Hits, after which
Stapp released his debut solo album The Great Divide in 2005 with Roadrunner Records
recording artist Goneblind. Meanwhile, Tremonti and Phillips had reunited with Marshall to
form a new band, called Alter Bridge with singer Myles Kennedy, formerly of The Mayfield
Four and the current frontman of Slash's latest project. Alter Bridge, who continues to tour and
record today, has released four studio albums: One Day Remains (2004), Blackbird (2007), AB
III (2010) and Fortress (2013).
e. Reunion and Full Circle (2009–2010)
From 2004 onward, Tremonti promised that Creed would never reform. However, on
April 27, 2009, Creed's website announced that the band had reunited for a new tour and plans
for a new album. According to Tremonti, "We're all very excited to reconnect with our fans and
each other after seven long years." He later added that being in Creed again was "the last thing
[he] expected." Phillips also stated: "Our career as Creed came to a very abrupt and unforeseen
ending. After reflecting on some of the greatest personal and professional moments of our lives,
we've come to realize that we are still very capable of continuing that career and our friendship
on a grander scale than ever before." In an interview for People magazine, Stapp elaborated on
the reunion, saying, "We never felt like we weren't together. We're not looking at this as a
reunion. It's more of a rebirth."
In June, Creed performed with Marshall on bass for the first time in nine years on
Sessions@AOL, showing the band playing four of their hits. In addition, the band performed live
on Fox & Friends on June 26, 2009. Creed's reunion tour, with touring guitarist Eric Friedman,
kicked off on August 6, 2009 and concluded on October 20. Full Circle, Creed's first album in
eight years, came out on October 27, 2009. Stapp elaborated on the title, which is also the name
of a track to appear on the album: "It really defines and articulates, melody-wise and lyrically,
what‟s happened with us. We've come full circle and it's a great place to be." The first single
from Full Circle, "Overcome," was posted on the band's official website on August 19, the same
day the radio premiere started along with its release as a digital download on August 25. The
second single, "Rain," was released to radio stations on September 23 and became available on
October 6 as another digital download. On September 25, 2009, Creed performed a concert in
Houston, Texas that was recorded, broadcast via a live internet stream, and released on
December 8, 2010, as a concert film titled Creed Live, the band's first live recording. The
performance broke four world records, including the world record for the most amount of
cameras used at a live music event (239). The previous holder of this record was Justin
Timberlake. The performance also featured the very first usage of the "big freeze" technology,
popularized by The Matrix, in a concert environment. The band's first live recording, the record-
breaking concert film titled Creed Live, was released on December 8, 2009. Drummer Scott
Phillips also confirmed that Full Circle will not be the band's final album. The same
announcement confirmed that Creed was to go on a world tour in support of Full Circle between
April and September 2010, starting with an Australia/New Zealand tour, followed by South
America, Europe, and North America. The tour was called The 20-10 Tour. Tickets for the tour
were ten and twenty dollars to stand up against rising concert ticket prices. The first 2,010 tickets
purchased for every concert did not include any service fees. Due to high ticket sales, Creed was
put in high numbered areas. Skillet joined the tour as main support.
f. Touring, fifth studio album and hiatus (2011–2012)

Creed reconvened in late 2011 and early 2012 to begin work on what would be their fifth
studio album, and first since Full Circle in 2009. A tour was also announced in which the band
would perform their first two albums, My Own Prison and Human Clay, from front to back over
the course of two nights, with selected tracks from Weathered and Full Circle also featured. This
tour kicked off with two shows on April 12 and 13, 2012, at the Chicago Theatre in Chicago,
Illinois, with the band performing My Own Prison the first night and Human Clay the second.
They also toured in South America and Indonesia It was announced that lead singer Scott Stapp
and lead guitarist Mark Tremonti would enter the studio to start recording new songs in June,but
it would appear no progress was made during this time.
In October 2013, Stapp noted in an interview that extensive work was done on the new album
throughout 2011 and 2012. However, the project was suddenly abandoned, and Stapp stated he is
unaware as to why. Stapp also hinted that the relationship between himself and Tremonti had
once again broken down, leaving the future of the band uncertain. In December 2013, Stapp
elaborated on this, saying Tremonti is dictating to him what he wants the band's creative
direction to be, and that unless he agrees to Tremonti's demands, the guitarist won't work with
him. In January 2014, Stapp once again confirmed in an interview the personal and creative
differences between him and Tremonti, stating that future material by the band looks unlikely to
happen at the moment, and that he is concentrating on his solo career. Despite these differences,
Stapp has maintained that the band is still together, if inactive, saying that "There's no real time
table, we're still a band." He's also said that he's always open to continuing to work on a new
album when the time is right and if everyone can agree to continue. None of the other members
of Creed have commented on the status of the band or Stapp's statements.

2. Musical style
Creed's music is generally considered to be rock. According to Rolling Stone magazine,
Scott Stapp's vocals have been influenced by Jim Morrison of The Doors Creed is often labeled a
Christian rock band due to the fact that all their albums focus on questions of faith, Christianity,
and eternity. The band was never signed to a contemporary Christian music label, nor did it
perform in Christian music venues or get any widespread regular play on Christian radio.
However, the band's name itself refers to the religious concept of a creed. Also, themes within
their musical titles such as "My Own Prison", " "My Sacrifice", "What's This Life For", "With
Arms Wide Open", and "One Last Breath" all contain allusions to Christian theology. Band
members have stated that while the members may be Christians, they do not see Creed as a
Christian band. Bassist Brian Marshall, who named the band, said that singer Scott Stapp uses
spiritual imagery as a metaphor.
3. Legacy and reception
Creed was one of the most commercially successful rock bands of the late 1990s and early
2000s, having sold an estimated 53 million records worldwide. Their first three studio albums,
My Own Prison, Human Clay, and Weathered, have all gone multi-platinum in the United States,
selling 6 million, 11 million, and 6 million copies respectively. The band also won a Grammy
Award for Best Rock Song for the song "With Arms Wide Open" in 2001. However, in spite of
this enormous commercial success, Creed was poorly received by professional critics, such as
Robert Christgau, among others. Jonah Weiner of Slate has tried to make the case that the band
was "seriously underrated," "most people hate Creed‟s combination of overwrought power-
balladry and Christian-infused testosterone." However, the band's live shows from throughout
their career have been critically acclaimed.
In 2011, Billboard ranked Creed as the 18th best artist of the 2000s. In 2012, lead vocalist Scott
Stapp published his own memoir titled Sinner's Creed, which details his early life and tenure
with the band. In 2013, readers of Rolling Stone voted Creed the worst band of the 1990s, whilst
criticizing the band and saying the competition "wasn't even close." Also included in the list
were other such artists as Nirvana, Dave Matthews Band and Nickelback.
4. Member
Scott Stapplead : vocals (1993–2004, 2009–2012)
Mark Tremonti : guitar, vocals (1993–2004, 2009–2012); bass guitar on Weathered (2001)
Brian Marshall : bass guitar (1993–2000, 2009–2012)
Scott Phillips : drums, percussion, keyboards (1993–2004, 2009–2012)
B. LIRICS OF CREED’S SONG
My Sacrifice
Hello my friend we meet again
It's been awhile where should we begin
Feels like forever
Within my heart a memory
A perfect love that you gave to me
Oh I remember
Chorus:

I'm free
I'm careless
I believe
My sacrifice
We've seen our share of ups and downs
Oh how quickly life can turn around
In an instant
It feels so good to reunite
Within yourself and within your mind
Let‟s find peace there
CHORUS:
I'm free
I'm careless
I believe
My sacrifice
My sacrifice
Don't Stop Dancing
At times life is wicked and I just can't see the light
A silver lining sometimes isn't enough
To make some wrongs seem right
[Chorus:]
Children don't stop dancing
Believe you can fly
Away...away
At times life's unfair and you know it's plain to see
Hey God I know I'm just a dot in this world
Have you forgot about me?

[Chorus]
[Chorus]
Are we hiding in the shadows?
One Last Breath
Please come now I think I'm falling
I'm holding on to all I think is safe
It seems I found the road to nowhere
And I'm trying to escape
I yelled back when I heard thunder
Let me say
Hold me now

That maybe six feet
Ain't so far down
I'm looking down now that it's over
Reflecting on all of my mistakes
I thought I found the road to somewhere
Somewhere in His grace
I cried out heaven save me
Let me say
Hold me now
That maybe six feet
Ain't so far down
Sad eyes follow me
But I still believe there's something left for me
So please come stay with me
'Cause I still believe there's something left for you and me
For you and me
For you and me
Hold me now

My Own Prison
A court is in session, a verdict is in
No appeal on the docket today
Just my own sin
The walls are cold and pale
The cage made of steel
Screams fill the room
Alone I drop and kneel
Silence now the sound
My breath the only motion around
Demons cluttering around
My face showing no emotion
Shackled by my sentence
Expecting no return
Here there is no penance
My skin begins to burn
(And I said oh) So I held my head up high
Hiding hate that burns inside
Which only fuels their selfish pride
(And I said oh) We're all held captive
Out from the sun
A sun that shines on only some
We the meek are all in one

I hear a thunder in the distance
See a vision of a cross
I feel the pain that was given
On that sad day of loss
A lion roars in the darkness
Only he holds the key
A light to free me from my burden
And grant me life eternally
Should have been dead
On a Sunday morning
Banging my head
No time for mourning
Ain't got no time
I cry out to God
I cry out to God
What's This Life For

Hurray for a child that makes it through
If there's any way, because the answer lies in you
Their laid to rest, before they've know just what to do
Their souls are lost, because they could never find
I see your soul it's kind of gray
You see my heart, you look away
You see my wrist, I know your pain
I know your purpose on your plane
Don't say a last prayer, because you could never find
But they ain't here anymore
Don't have to settle no goddamned score
Because we all live under the reign of one king
C. DATA PRESENTATION
1. data of my sacrifice song lyrics

AND LINE
1 Friend A person one A truly friend or A1
knows and likes, close friend Line: 1
usually
somebody who is
not member of
family
2 Fly To move to the Becoming better A2
air using wings or greater than Line: 11
others
3 Tears A drop a salty Pain or sorrow A3
water that comes Line: 12
from the eyes
when one cries
4 Eyes Each of two Represent the A4
organs on the meaning of “our Line: 13
face that are used lives”
for seeing
5 sacrifice the action of giving up or A5
giving up surrender Line: 14
something that
one values for
the sake of
something more
important or
valuable or a
thing that one
gives up in this
way
6 Ups and down in one direction happy and sad, A6
and then in the good or bad Line: 15
opposite
direction
7 reunite to cause two or come together or A7
more people to meet Line: 18
come together
again
2. Data of don’t stop dancing song lyrics

AND LINE
1 Wicked morally bad; evil bad and evil B1
Line: 1
2 Light the natural force to understand or B2
that makes things accept something Line: 1
visible after much
difficulty or
doubt
3 Silver lining Silver (n)” dream or hope B3
means; a without action Line: 2
chemical
element.
line (n)” means;
(1) a long thin
mark on the
surface of
something
4 Knees the joint between falling or failed B4
the upper and Line: 6
lower parts of the
leg
5 Dance to move in a do something or B5
series of steps, survive Line: 10
alone or with a
partner or in
group
6 Fly to move through becoming better B6
the air, using or greater than Line: 11
wings others
7 Unfair not right or just; bad, wicked, and B7
not fair evil Line: 13
8 Dot a small round Worthless or B8
mark paltry. Line: 14
9 Shadow a dark area on a fear or hopeless B8
surface caused Line: 22
by an object
standing between
direct light and
that surface
3. Data of one last breath song lyrics

AND LINE
1 Road to nowhere “road” means; a death C1
way between Line: 3
places, especially
one with a
prepared surface
which vehicles
can use,
“nowhere”
means; not at or
to any place; no
place
2 Thunder the loud noise equivalent to the C2
flash of lightning
3 Breath the air taken into being give up or C3
and sent out from almost die Line: 6
the lungs
4 Six feet from the edge Foot (pl feet) ” grave C4
means; the Line: 10
lowest part of the
leg, below the
ankle, on which a
person or an
animal stands.
“edge (n)” :the
outside limit or
boundary of an
object, a surface
or an area
5 Sad eyes sad (adj )” the apathy he is C5
represents; getting from Line: 25
showing or mankind
causing sorrow
or regret;
unhappy.
“eye (n)” means;
each of two
organs on the
face that are used
for seeing
4. Data of my own prison song lyrics

AND LINE
1 Court a place where D1
trials or other Line: 1
law cases are
held; a law court
2 Verdict a decision judgment D2
reached by a jury Line: 1
on a question of
fact in a law case
3 The walls a continuous the grave D3
upright solid Line: 4
structure made of
stone, brick or
concrete, used
for enclosing,
dividing or
protecting
something, an
area of land
4 Cage a structure made the coffin D4
of bars or wires Line: 5
in which birds or
animals are kept
or carried
5 Steel a strong hard “its strength D5
metal made of a Line: 5
mixture of iron
and carbon
6 Sun the star that sacrifice of Christ D6
shines in the sky Line: 20-21
during the day
and gives the
earth heat and
light
7 Thunder the loud noise equivalent to the D7
flash of lightning
8 Sad day showing or the day when D8
causing sorrow Christ sacrifices Line: 26
or regret; himself
unhappy
9 Lion a large powerful Jesus Christ D9
animal of the cat Line: 27
family that eats
meat and is
found in parts of
Africa and
southern Asia
10 Light the natural force forgiveness that D10
that makes things can save people Line: 29
visible from their prison
11 prison a place where the Hell D11
people are kept Line: 39
as a punishment
for crimes they
have committed
or while waiting
for trial
5. Data of what this life for song lyrics

AND LINE
1 Laid to rest to put something to relax, sleep or E1
or somebody in a do nothing after a Line: 3
certain position period of activity
or because of
illness
2 Rest to relax, sleep or die or passed E2
do nothing after away Line: 3
a period of
activity or
because of illness
3 Gray = grey of the color of unknown or E3
ashes or lead unpredictable Line: 6
4 Wrist the part of the pain E4
body between the Line: 8
hand and the arm
5 king (the title of) the GOD E5
male ruler of an Line:14
independent
state, inheriting
the position by
right of birth

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AN ANALYSIS ON THE DENOTATIVE AND CONNOTATIVE MEANING

OF CREED’S SONGS LYRICS

ENGLISH AND EDUCATIONAL DEPARTMENT STATE INSTITUE FOR

Faizal Risdianto S.S M.HumSalatiga.September 2014

Assalamu’alaikum, Wr. Wb.

After reading and correcting Fatkurrohmangraduating paper entitled

it would be examined as soon as possible.

Wassalamu’alaikum, Wr. Wb.

FAIZAL RISDIANTO S.S M.Hum

NIP. 19750917200801 1010

Salatiga ,15 september 2014

This graduating paper dedicated to:

 My highly valued parents, my mother Siti Insiyah and my father Muhyidin.

 My elder brother, Nur Rohim.

 My uncle, Ahmad Mustofa.

 My nephew, Fatir Ilhami.

department at State Institute for Islamic Studies (STAIN).

giving me the chance and opportunity to study in this institute.

2. Mrs.Rr.Dewi Wahyu.M, S.S,M.Pd as head of faculty.

Jumeri, Makmun and those who cannot one by one.

graduating paper and given me information in this campus.

PAGE OF CERTIFICATION……………………………………………………. ……………………iv

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT………………………………………………………. ……………. ………ix

TABLE OF CONTENT………………………………………………………….. ……………………xii

B. Statement of the problem………………………………………………….. 4

C. Objective of the study……………………………………………………... 5

D. Scope of the study…………………………………………………………. 5

E. Benefit of the study………………………………………………………... 5

F. Graduating paper outline…………………………………………..………. 6

CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED THEORY

B. Kind of lexical meaning…………………………………………..……….. 11

CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHOD

CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION

B. The analysis of denotative and connotative meaning found in creed‟s song

Consultant: Faizal Risdianto S.S. M.Hum

In the holy Qur‟an surah ali imran verse 7 Allah said:

except men of understanding” (Ali Imran: 7).

word. But, do they have the same meaning?

(Fromkin, 1990: 205).

to convey their intended meaning of speaking or message of a language used.

Based on the previous explanation, the researcher is interested in conducting research

songs will be fascinating.

B. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEMS

problems related with this study, the problems are as follows:

C. OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

contains allusion to Christian theology (http: //en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Creed).

E. THE BENEFIT OF STUDY

students of STAIN Salatiga, especially at English Department. It is expected to be able to

broaden the knowledge in understanding the denotative and connotative meanings of

researching this area.

F. GRADUATING PAPER OUTLINE

as a major branch of linguistics devoted to study of meaning in language (Crystal, 1991:310).

Denotative and Connotative meaning

of secondary significance which a word commonly suggests.

(http: //The UVic Writer's Guide. Connotation and Denotation)

Myles Kennedy (http: //en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Creed).

REVIEW OF RELATED THEORY

In etymology, Semantics is derived from the Greek "ocμai ôéêüò" or semantikos,

polysemy, hyponymy etc).

According to Crystal in Sarifah (2003), “semantics is the study of meaning in language”.

“bedeutung and sinn” in German.

thinking but also all of human behavior.